Island



UNITED STARS n urea.

CHARLES F. BROWN, OF WARREN, RHODE ISLAND.

INSTRUMENT FOR TAKING DEEP-SEA SOUNDINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 11,001, dated June 6, 1854.-.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. BROWN, of Warren, in the co-unty of Bristol and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement for Sounding or Ascertaining the Depth of the Ocean; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is an external view of the implement. Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the lower. portion of the implement, showing the mechanism by which the powder is fired.

y 'p Fig. 3, is an external view of the extreme Y view of the clamps.

lower portion of the implement, designed to show more clearly the office of the clamps and nut. Fig. 4, is a detached plan or top Fig. 5, is a plan or top view of the tube which contains the needle, showing the collar, and slots in which the feathers on the needle head or boss work.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several ligures.

This invention relates to a new and useful implement for sounding or ascertaining the depth of the ocean, and consists in attaching to a spindle or shaft a chamber of a p-rolate spheroidal form, said chamber containing a requisite quantity of gun powder, within the lower part of the spindle or shaft y. and underneath the spheroidal chamber there is placed a needle which is operated by a spring and forced against a cap placed on a nipple at the lower end of the chamber, said needle being forced against the f cap and firing the powder, when the lower end of the spindle strikes the bottom of the ocean, by means of suitable mechanism which will be presently described.

lThe implement is allowed to descend or is let fall from the surface of the water, and the time which elapses from the moment the implement is let fall till the report is heard, or the concussion felt, is denoted by a stop watch. Reference is then made to a table formed by previous experiments, and the correct depth ascertainedthe depth being in proportion to the time which elapses from the letting fall of the /its upper end two spiral flanches a, a, see

Fig. l. To this spindle or shaft there is attached a metal chamber B, of a very prolate spheroidal form. This chamber is filled with a requisite quantity of gun powder.

The lower part of the spindle or shaft A, above the chamber B, is screwed into the upper part of the chamber at b, and is made water tight by any suitable means. In the lower end of the chamber B, there is screwed a pintle C, having a nipplev c, at its lower end as seen in Fig. 2. A hole or passage d, is made through the nipple and pintle; said hole or passage communicating with the interior of the chamber B. The pintle C, is screwed water tight into the lower part of the chamber.

On the lower end of the pintle C, there is a screw thread on which the upper end of a tube D, is screwed see Fig. 2; the tube D, being about the same diameter as the shaft or spindle A, above the chamber, and forming, in effect, when secured on the pintle C, a part of the shaft A. This tube D, has within it a needle E, on the upper part of which there is a head or boss e, having upon its surface at opposite points two longitudinal feathers f, f, which fit in slots g, g, in a collar L, within the tube see Figs. 2, and 5. Underneath the head or boss e, and around the needle E, between the head or boss e, and the bottom i, of the tube there is a spiral spring y'.

The lower part vof the needle E, has a screw thread cut upon it and extends through an aperture in the bottom of the tube.

The lower end of the tube D, fits loosely within a metal collar or socket F, on the outer lower part of which a screw thread is cut as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; the collar or socket is also secured or fastened into a metal hub or cylinder G, having a vertical aperture lc, through its center as shown in Fig. 2.

On the lower outer part of the collar or socket F, where the screw thread is cut a metal nut H works. The collar or socket F, has two triangular openings Z, Z, see Figs. 2, and ,3, cut through its sides at opposite points, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. On the bottom of the collar r socket F, there are two vertical pins m, m, of triangular shape.` These pins are placed about in the center of 'the openings Z, one pin in each opening. A

clamp or nut formed of two horizontal plates n, n, is placed through the triangular openings Z, Z, as seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The

y pins m, m, it when forcing the plates apart.

I will first proceed to describe the operation of the needle or thev manner in which it is made to act upon the `cap on the nipple c. The needle E, is depressed within the tube D, by turning the hub or cylinder G, or if the tube D, is detached from the pintle C,

v by turning the tube, the turning of either effects the same object. The needle E, is prevented from turning within the tube D, by means of feathers f, f, fitting in the slots g, g, in the collar 71 and consequently the needle isforced downward, as its lower end vpasses through the plates u, n, which is in Veffect a nut, the plates being bound together as they are kept upward in the upper parts of the triangular openings Z, by the nut H, which is screwed up against them as shown in Fig. l, and in Figs. 2 and 3. As the needle is depressed the spring y', is proportionably compressed, and when compressed sufficiently, the tube D, isY screwed on the pintle C, and the nut H, screwed downward from the plates n', n, to the position shown in black in Figs. 2 and 8. The platesV n, n, are then of course free fro-1n the nutI-I,

and the hub or cylinder G, is prevented from being moved accidentally upward by a light spiral spring I around the tube D, the lower part of the spring I, resting or bearingV upon the upper part of the collar or socket E, and the upper part against aY shoulder s, on the tube as seen in Fig. 2.

When the parts are in this position as shownV in Fig.

cocked and it will be seen that if the hub y 2, the needle may be termed or cylinder Gr were forced upward the triangular pins m, m, would force apart the plates n, n, and the needle would be forced upward and strike against t-he cap on the Anipple c, bythe action of the spiral spring j.

Vwould instantly follow.A I would A small nut u, is placed upon the lower end of the needle E, merely to prevent the separation of the hub G, and tube D, when the needle is not cocked, this nut is not indispensable but is convenient and keeps the parts above named together. This being understood the whole operation may be briefly stated: n

rlhe needleis first cocked within the tube D, as just described and the implement'is gently lowered into the ocean until the surface of the water is at the upper parts of the spiral ianches a, a.; the implement is then dropped or let fall and the spiral ianches a, a, will cause the implement torotate as it descends, thus insuring a vertical line of descent. The hub or cylinder G of course first touches the bottom and the impetus or inertia of the implement will overcome the resistance of the spiral spring I around the tube D, and the tube D with the needle and plates n, n, at its lower end, will be forced downward and the triangular pins m, m, will force apart the plates n, n; the needle will consequently be liberated and the spring j, will force t-he needle against the cap on the nipple, exploding the cap and igniting the powder in the chamber B, which will burst or explode. The sound of the explosion will be heard or the concussion will be felt at the surface of the ocean, and the exact time which elapses from the letting fall of the implement till the explosion is heard must be ascertained by a stop watch. By this means the eXact depth of the ocean may be ascertained, for a table may be formed by eX- periment, the depth being in proportion to the time which elapses from the letting fall of the implement till the explosion is heard or the concussion of the water felt. l

The implement is intended to be made of various sizes; for great depths large chambers would be required to hold sufficient powder to enable the report to be heard or the concussion to be felt sensibly.

From the above description it will be seen that the Vordinary percussionV cap may be used on the nipple c.

The powder may also be ignitedby employing a small pill of Van alloy of potassium, which may be put within the nipple c, the nipple being covered with an empty cap of sutlicient strength to resist the pressure of the water. The upper part of the needle `may Vbe pointed so as to rupture or pierce the capwhen the needle is liberatedV and then the water would come in contact with the alloy of potassium'and ignition ive `the preference to the employment of t e lalloy of potassium over the percussion cap, as the alloy of potassium requires the presence of water to cause ignition and the accidents indicate a current and its strength; the strength or rapidity being in proportion to 15 the distance.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

An implement constructed and operated 20 substantially as herein described, for the purpose of sounding the depth of the ocean.

CHARLES F. BROWN.

Witnesses:

O. D. MUNN, S. H. WALES. 

